Episode 101: Juliet Prowse
and the Feather Boa Constrictor]] Muppy, the favorite pet of Muppet Theater owner J.P. Grosse, becomes a prima donna when Kermit reluctantly allows him to do a musical number with Scooter. Kermit finally draws the line when the dog asks to change the show's title to The Muppy Show. When Muppy locks himself in his dressing room, Scooter does the number with Fozzie instead. Highlights *Mahna Mahna and the two Snowths sing "Mahna Mahna." *Gonzo eats a tire to the tune of "Flight of The Bumblebee." *Juliet Prowse dances with a team of Gazelles to Scott Joplin's "Solace." *At the Dance *UK Spot: Rowlf the Dog sings "You and I and George." *Talk Spot: Juliet calls Kermit the Robert Redford of frogs. *Fozzie Bear and Rowlf star in the "Cowboy Time" sketch. *Guest Star Gag: Zoot, Juliet and the Feather Boa Constrictor. *Scooter and Fozzie Bear sing "Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear." *While The Muppet Glee Club sings "Temptation," soloist Miss Piggy pushes through the chorus to cuddle with Kermit. Notes *Juliet Prowse was presented with a Muppet version of herself at the end of the episode. This "tradition" would only last through episode 102. *Jerry Nelson was not available for the filming of the first three episodes, but began performing as of episode 104. *This and Episode 102: Connie Stevens do not feature any of the Muppet characters besides Kermit coming out for goodnights nor guest star. *The Miss Piggy puppet evolved somewhat from her earlier appearances. She has new blue eyes that are different than the beady eyes the puppet had sported prior to The Muppet Show, though they're also different than the eyes that will appear on the puppet for the rest of the season. Since the original concept of the character was to base her off of Peggy Lee, she may have been given newer eyes to make her look even more like the classic singer (and once those eyes are in place, the resemblance is rather frightening). Another difference in the puppet unique to this episode is that a visible rip appears in the back of Piggy's mouth. One can even see the puppeteer's hand through it! This would be fixed by adding a new felt inside mouth over the tear. *For the purposes of this episode guide, the purple monster that appears in the Western Sketch will be referred to as Miss Kitty, since this is the only time where any name was given to the character. The Pilot *Episodes 101 and 102 of The Muppet Show were both shot as pilots, several months before regular production began. After the show began regular production, these episodes were re-worked, with some new skits taped and others dropped. All material featuring Juliet Prowse, however, was shot during the original production window. In many markets, these were among the last episodes to air as part of Season One. *The pilot features no mention of Muppy and thhe backstage plot involving his act. *Several shots and scenes featured alternate takes from those included in the broadcast version of this episode. *Among the material cut from the pilot were two complete sketches and an excerpt from the Cowboy Time sketch. Whereas the pilot included a monologue by Fozzie Bear, the broadcast version would, in contrast, include a subplot in which Fozzie asked Kermit for some stage time. A drum solo performed by Animal in the orchestra pit was also cut. The Simon Smith and His Amazing Dancing Bear number, the only onstage act in the broadcast version not to appear in the pilot, ostensibly took the place of these sketches. *Mahna Mahna was shown later in the show, rather than the opening number. He also appeared backstage at the end of Kermit's conversation with Juliet. *Both Jim Henson and Dave Goelz performed Gonzo in the pilot. Jim performed him during his tire-eating act, and Dave performed him in a later scene backstage. *Fozzie Bear had a much deeper voice in the pilot. The only Fozzie sketch included in both the pilot and broadcast versions was "Cowboy Time." It is likely that the reason Fozzie asked Kermit whether his "deep" voice sounded like John Wayne was to explain the change in vocal patterns. This is also likely the reason why his original monologue from the pilot was cut. *Jane Henson was credited as a performer in the pilot, but not in the broadcast version of this episode. *More information on the pilot, which can be viewed at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York City or Los Angeles, is available at the Muppet Central Guides. Cast Guest Star: :Juliet Prowse Muppets: :Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, The Great Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, Scooter, Statler, Waldorf, Mahna Mahna, The Snowths, Muppy, Green Gazelles, George the Janitor, Mildred Huxtetter, Flower-Eating Monster, Zoot, Feather Boa Constrictor, Miss Kitty, Frogs, Pigs, Chickens, Whatnots, Juliet Prowse Muppet Background Muppets: :Brewster, Trumpet Girl, Wanda, Sam the Eagle, Snake Frackle Performers *Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Waldorf, Mahna Mahna, and Flower-Eating Monster *Frank Oz as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, George the Janitor, Mildred, Stole, and the Snowths *Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Muppy, Zoot, Pigs, and Miss Kitty *Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Miss Piggy, Pig, Frogs, and Bartender *John Lovelady as Cowboy and Frogs *Eren Ozker as Flower-Eating Monster's dancing partner, Saloon Girl, Chickens, and Juliet Next Episode :Episode 102: Connie Stevens 101